E.J. Warner set to be a big part of Temple's future
After signing with Temple as part of the Owls’ 2022 recruiting class and opening some eyes during August’s preseason camp, E.J. Warner found himself third on the quarterback depth chart to open up the season against Duke.
It looked like the Brophy College Prep graduate and the son of NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner would have to wait for his opportunity behind starter D’Wan Mathis and backup Quincy Patterson.
But after Mathis threw for just 83 yards in the season opener and fumbled four times in five quarters, two at Duke and two in the first quarter against Lafayette the following week, Warner jumped the depth chart, relieved Mathis and led the Owls to a 30-14 win over the Leopards by throwing for 173 yards and two touchdowns.
The opportunity was there for Warner, and he took it and ran with it. He held onto the job and kept it for the remainder of the season, one he capped Saturday by completing 45 of 63 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns in Temple’s 49-46 loss to ECU.
Warner’s 45 completions, 527 yards and five touchdowns set single-game program passing records.
“Coming into college football, I didn’t really know what to expect and didn’t know how much I was going to play the first year,” Warner said following Saturday’s game. “I’ve just gone in there and enjoyed every single moment of it.”
Warner finished his freshman season with 3,028 passing yards, the program’s second-best single-season total, just 267 yards shy of former Owl and current Carolina Panthers quarterback P.J. Walker’s 3,295 passing yards in 2016 season. Along with 18 touchdown passes to 12 interceptions.
Warner also passed former Owl Anthony Russo for most completions in a season with 278.
While Temple finished 3-9 in head coach Stan Drayton’s first season and didn’t get the outcome it wanted Saturday after taking a fourth-quarter lead, Warner established himself as one of the best freshman quarterbacks in the nation and a significant building block for the Owls’ future.
Now the 6-foot, 190-pound Phoenix native gets a full offseason in the weight room and a complete slate of spring practices to prepare for the 2023 campaign.
“I’m excited about the growth that still needs to take place in E.J.,” Drayton said. “He needs to lift and train like a real quarterback, physically change his body so the ball will pop off his arm a little differently and a little more effectively for next year - really growing a lot of different areas intangibly and becoming that warrior for us from a vocal standpoint and taking charge of the offense.”
Warner agreed.
“I’m excited. I think that there are a lot of things that I can work on,” Warner said. “I’m excited to work for eight months all offseason. I got here a little late last year just coming from high school. Just working on getting bigger, stronger, faster, and getting chemistry with my guys.”
Center Adam Klein, who played his final game in a Temple uniform Saturday, praised Warner on his progression and work ethic and sees a bright future ahead for the freshman.
“I think he’s done an awesome job,” Klein said. “He just kept getting more comfortable and comfortable in that pocket and more comfortable with us as individuals. It’s hard playing as a freshman, and I’ve had experience with it and it’s not easy. It's a lot of pressure, but he’s done an awesome job staying calm, cool and collected. He has a great work ethic and that’s going to lead him to be successful in the coming years.”
Drayton said more Saturday in explaining that he feels Warner is far from reaching his full potential.
“Maybe add a few more elements to his game that are needed in critical situations,” Drayton said. “Just watching his confidence grow, there’s still a high ceiling for EJ, and I know he’s doing great stuff for us right now, but he’s nowhere near the potential that I believe this kid has within him. We just have to take it one step at a time. He’s got to get in that weight troom to get strong, add some elements to his game, and then just see where it goes from there.”
Although he carried the tag of being the son of a former two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP, Warner never picked up a scholarship offer from a Power 5 program during his recruitment, most likely because he didn’t carry the taller and bigger frame of a prototypical pocket passer. He chose Temple over offers that included Colorado State, UConn, Hawaii and Marshall.
Warner’s older brother, Kade, played three seasons at Nebraska before transferring to Kansas State, where he just finished off the 2022 season with 36 catches for 386 yards and five touchdowns. When Kade Warner redshirted at Nebraska in 2017, he crossed paths with current Temple offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf during his final season on the Cornhuskers’ staff.
That family connection helped put Langsdorf onto E.J. Warner’s recruitment once he joined Drayton’s staff, with Langsdorf organizing a workout for Warner in Arizona prior to his official visit to Temple back in January.
After his record-setting performance Saturday, Warner alluded to being overlooked during his recruitment and said he was appreciative of the opportunity he received at Temple.
“From day one, not a lot of people believed me from high school, and (Drayton) did from day one and showed that to me, how much they wanted me here and how much of a priority I was,” Warner said, “and I’m just so grateful for this for this opportunity to be a part of this program and to come and try to help build up Temple. Just so excited to be part of it and just can't wait to keep getting to work, getting better, and hopefully the next few years we can win more games.”